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Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Let's see some more of Yuri learning how to navigate the maze out of his injured mind, why don't we? This week's update was inspired by the prompt: I'm all business. Enjoy!!

Lost Inside Chapter 40

“Why aren’t you
helping the others?” Yuri snuggled against his mate. They’d spent two days
holed up in their apartment. He’d spent a lot of time on his phone, though.

“They don’t need me
right now. You do.” Benny ran his fingers through Yuri’s hair. It felt good
when he tugged lightly on the ends.

“That’s not being a
good Alpha.” Sheshtun had run their Clan like his personal fiefdom, but Yuri
had seen how it should be done. Velaku was nice, and all the Falcon Clan loved
him. He was clearly in charge, though, and ‘all about business’ he said.

“Hey, I’m all
business.” Benny tapped Yuri’s nose. “And you’re my top priority. They’re fine.
I promise I’m not ignoring the Clan, but we haven’t had enough time for us.”

“You’re sneaking out
while I’m sleeping, aren’t you?” Yuri sat up and crossed his arms over his
chest. “No wonder you look so tired.”

Benny grimaced. “I
don’t know what else to do.”

“I know you think I
need it, but you can’t protect me forever.”

Benny ran a hand over
his hair. “Seeing one friend sent you to the hospital.”

“My memories coming
back sent me to the hospital.” Yuri pinched his sweats between his fingers,
rubbing the soft fabric. “I’ve been talking with Ellis, you know. He thinks it
was inevitable—the doctor’s tests show the stuff they did to me worked. It’s
like my brain was fuzzy and half-asleep, and now I’m waking up.”

“You should do that
slowly. I don’t want you to get—”

Yuri bolted off the
couch, growling in frustration. He paced across the room. “You cannot keep
treating me like a cub! Cleara says life happens. So, get over it. I want you
to be my mate, not my keeper. I’m not a youngling, I’m not stupid. Yes. I have
a lot to work through. I can’t do that if you wrap me up and keep me away from
anything that could hurt me.”

He tried to
straighten his ears, but they were flat to his head. He was breathing hard
after his rant, the sound of his raspy breath the only thing he could hear in
the room. He glanced at Benny. “Well?”

His mate stayed
silent, his lips stubbornly pressed together.

“I want to see Peten.”
Yuri knew that would set Benny off… and he was right.

“Damn it, Yuri! What
are you trying to do to me?” Benny was off the couch in a heartbeat. His claws
flicked in and out until he clenched his hands into fists. “I’m trying my best
here. I am just trying to keep you from—”

“From what? Not
needing you? I’ve been lost inside my own mind for a long time, Benny, I know
it. I also know I’m not better yet. But you can’t keep doing this.” Yuri
stepped closer to him. He spoke softly. “You have to let me help myself—and you.
I can be the kind of mate an Alpha needs.”

He sat on the couch
while his mate went to get his old friend. He’d been practicing, while pretend
sleeping, pulling up memories and shutting them down before they got to be too
much. His head often ached, and some of his memories were vague, more
impressions and sensations, echoes of emotions, than anything else.

Benny opened the
door, and Yuri took a deep breath, holding it before he let it out slowly. “Are
you sure about this?”

Yuri nodded. “Yes.”

He stepped inside. Peten
entered behind him. Yuri searched his face, not liking the way Peten had
changed since the last time they saw each other. Some of his lingering anger—over
his friend’s betrayal when he didn’t help him when Sheshtun tried to kill Yuri
and his mate—drained away. Whatever his reasons, Peten had suffered at the
hands of the monster his father had become, too.

A large Tiger ducked
under the doorframe and stopped behind Peten, hunched over like he was trying
to make himself smaller. Yuri didn’t stand up.

“Why don’t you sit
down?” He nodded at the chairs at an angle to the TV.

“Thank you.” Peten
led the other Tiger by the hand. They waited for Benny to sit, then the big one
sat down and then pulled Peten onto his lap, hiding his face completely. “You
wanted to see us, Alpha-mate?”

“You know my name,
Peten.”

Yuri frowned when his
friend flicked his eyes toward Benny. He licked his lips. “I don’t want….” His
mate tightened his arms around Peten’s waist.

Benny sighed. “I told
you; I’m nothing like Sheshtun. I do not believe the use of our names is
disrespectful—as long as you aren’t being disrespectful.” The last was said
with a note of warning.

“Sorry.” Peten’s mate
had a deep, rumbling voice to match his size.

Yuri decided to drop
it. “I can’t believe you found your mate, Peten. How did that happen?” He
wanted to put the pair at ease, but his question had the opposite effect.

Peten grunted when
his mate’s arms locked around him like a vise. “Carlit, stop,” he wheezed. He
stroked his mate’s arms until he could take a deep breath, then leaned
sideways. “Yuri, this is my mate, Carlit. We met when he was loaned to our Clan by his.”

Peten spat out the
word with bitter fury.

Yuri reached for
Benny. He had a feeling he wouldn’t like what he was about to hear. “What do
you mean?”

“Sheshtun wasn’t the
only Alpha who wanted to reverse the dwindling births among the Tiger Clans.
His breeding program was the first of its kind—but several Clans contributed.
Money, guards, breeders….”

Carlit whimpered. “Please,
don’t. Don’t call me that.”

TBC

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Tuesday, September 23, 2014

At least that’s what Matthew Hopkins thinks. Unfortunately, Morgan is also a
brilliant law student, and easily eclipses Matthew, academically and
socially.

Matthew insists he hates Morgan. According to Matthew’s best friend, Cory,
perhaps he doth protest a bit too much.

Cory has received the chance of a lifetime in the form of an internship with
ITM—Information Technology and Medicine—the prestigious research company where
Morgan’s father is the CEO. Too inquisitive for his own good, the naturally
curious Cory stumbles on a deadly secret inside of ITM. What he has learned will
tip the balance of everything, but for good or bad?

Just what is the mysterious Project X?

What is Morgan’s involvement?

Matthew has to sort fact from fiction, friend from foe, as his world is turned
upside down and inside out, and nothing can be the way it was.

Nephylim was born into a poor
mining family in the South Wales Valleys. Until she was 16, the toilet was at
the bottom of the garden and the bath hung on the wall. Her refrigerator was a
stone slab in the pantry and there was a black lead fireplace in the kitchen.
They look lovely in a museum but aren’t so much fun to clean.

Nephylim has always been a
storyteller. As a child, she’d make up stories for her nieces, nephews and
cousin and they’d explore the imaginary worlds she created, in play.

Later in life, Nephylim became the
storyteller for a re enactment group who travelled widely, giving a taste of
life in the Iron Age. As well as having an opportunity to run around hitting
people with a sword, she had an opportunity to tell stories of all kinds,
sometimes of her own making, to all kinds of people. The criticism was sometimes
harsh, especially from the children, but the reward enormous.

It was here she began to appreciate
the power of stories and the primal need to hear them. In ancient times, the
wandering bard was the only source of news, and the storyteller the heart of
the village, keeping the lore and the magic alive. Although much of the magic
has been lost, the stories still provide a link to the part of us that still
wants to believe that it’s still there, somewhere.

In present times, Nephylim lives in
a terraced house in the valleys with her son and her two cats. Her daughter has
deserted her for the big city, but they’re still close. The part of her that
needs to earn money is a lawyer, but the deepest, and most important part of
her is a storyteller and artist, and always will be.

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Another week, another update! This week I picked a photo prompt of a goldfish staring out of a clear bowl, empty of anything else. I tried to download it to go with my post today, but it was corrupted. :( I'm sure many of us have felt like Yuri does in this chapter. Enjoy!

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Lost Inside: Chapter 39

Yuri
couldn’t breathe. His stomach hurt, and his head throbbed. He dropped to his
knees, blindly reaching for the floor. He gagged, stomach heaving. He didn’t…
He couldn’t… Images flickered.

Peten
ducking under his bed when his door slammed open.

His
mother bowing to his father.

Hiding
those magazines in the back of his
closet—snorting at the irony, even at fifteen.

Seeing
his mate for the first time in the midst of a boring merging meeting with the
new Clan.

Joy.
Pleasure. Pain.

Yuri’s
stomach turned itself inside out, and he vomited. He yowled, his ears pinned to
his head, as they moved faster and faster. He was young; he was older. His
father towered over him, and Yuri cringed away, huddled on the floor.

Knowing
he was going to die.

Unable
to save his mate.

“Benny!”
he screamed.

***

Beeping
again. Yuri groaned. He knew that sound. Quick on the heels of sound came scent.
Yuck. Antiseptic and sick.

He
was in a human hospital.

He
blinked slowly, pushing his eyelids up. It was dim in the room, the shades were
shut. Benny dozed in a chair beside his bed, a frown wrinkling his forehead.

For
long minutes, Yuri just looked at his mate. His head hurt, and he knew the
memories were there, waiting to crowd down in on him again.

Yuri
didn’t want them. So much of them hurt to remember. He liked being with his
mate now. He rubbed his face with
both hands, grimacing at the pads and wires pasted all over him. Moving his
head made him dizzy. He groaned, then gripped the rails on the bed, trying to
hold on as the room spun.

“Hey.”
Ellis showed up in the doorway. Dav stood behind him. Benny snorted, then sat
up with a quick gasp. He stared at the annoying beeping next to Yuri’s bed.

“Hey,”
Benny said. His voice was rough. “He’s still sleeping.”

“No,
he’s not,” Yuri snapped. His head was beating like a drum, and his stomach was
swirling. He was tired of being in the hospital. It smelled, and he always felt
like a fish in a bowl. Everyone was always looking at him. He didn’t like it.
“I want to go home.”

“You’re
awake!” Benny stood up, bending over the bed.

“I
said that.” Yuri crossed his arms over his chest. “I want to go home.” He
ignored the fact moving his head made him want to hurl.

“How
about we talk about what happened, first? Do you remember?” Benny’s voice was
hesitant.

“I
don’t want to talk about it.” He didn’t know why Peten had been at Benny’s
apartment. Damn it. Just thinking about him sent a cascade of memories
associated with his ex-best friend. Yuri groaned and scrunched his eyes shut.

“Ellis,
can you get the doctor?”

Yuri answered the
doctors’ questions with short replies, yes or no when he could. He was sick of
their poking and prodding. He’d hit his head, again, but they thought the shock
of seeing Peten, and the resulting flood of memories, were at least partially
the cause of his headache. The other part was the lump on the side.

Since they were so
willing to talk over him, Yuri ignored everyone. He rubbed his arms, then
folded and unfolded the sheet over his lap. He was back in one of those blue
gowns, and he was cold.

“Can you all just
shut up? I want to. go. home.”

The beeping was loud
when everyone stopped speaking at once. Benny was looking at him with his
eyebrows raised, but Dav and Ellis were grinning. The doctors had their usual
blank doc faces on.

“I’m sick of the
smell. I don’t feel good, and I don’t wanna do any tests. I want to go sleep in
my bed, with my mate, and I don’t care what any of you think.” He looked at
Benny. “Well, except you.” He cared what his mate thought. “Please take me
home.”

Benny came around the
side of his bed and sat on the edge. He cupped his hand around Yuri’s cheek and
stroked under his eye with his thumb. “You scared me. We’ve been through so
much. You were out for a long time. Your memory is coming back, and I’m so glad
for that, but we aren’t sure exactly why. They need to do tests now that you’re
awake.”

“I just want to be
with you. Mates stay together, and I know you can’t stay here.” Ellis had told
Yuri all about what happened. “I know you killed Sheshtun. I know the clan is
here.” His memory was working fine. He didn’t need tests. “Can’t we just go?
You can take care of them while I’m resting in a place that doesn’t reek of
sick people.”

“Okay, Yuri.” Benny
leaned forward and pressed their lips together gently. “Let me see what we have
to do.”

His mate was very
much an Alpha. He stood firm when the human doctor objected. Finally they gave
up, and left to get paperwork or something else. Yuri sighed and closed his
eyes. He could use a nap while they waited.

***

Peten wasn’t in their
apartment. Yuri was relieved. Who knew what else seeing him would do? Yuri was
sick of the constant ups and downs. In the time since his mate came back to
him, they’d had a never ending series of drama.

“Will you lay down
with me?” Yuri’s head was crazier than the tilt-a-whirl. He couldn’t keep his
ears up. Benny helped him ease into the bed.

Yuri snuggled into
him, pressing against Benny’s neck. He inhaled the spicy scent of his mate,
then tried to pull him closer.

“Ow!” Benny grunted.

“What? Did I hurt
you?” He hadn’t squeezed him that hard. He pulled up Benny’s shirt. “You have
bandages! Did the doctors look at you while I was out?”

“I’m okay. I’ll be
healed in just a few days.” Benny flicked his ears. “And yes, Dr. Pannar
checked the scratches. That’s all they are, so don’t worry.”

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Here we are again, another week... another prompt! This time I used "Don't be a backseat driver." I did promise something interesting this week, didn't I? Let's see if you can spot it.

Lost Inside Chapter 38

“When
Sheshtun hurt Yuri, I didn’t help him,” Peten muttered. “I should’ve. But I
don’t know if you’ll understand what it was like.” Hatred burned in his eyes.
“What he did to us, just because he had the power. We hadn’t joined with your
clan long before you mated with Yuri and Sheshtun really went off the deep end.
You didn’t see how bad he could be. You don’t know how much he could make life
hurt.”

Benny’s
nostrils flared as he held on to his temper by the narrowest margin. “You think
I didn’t? When my mate was beaten nearly to death in front of me? When I was
forced to live apart from my mate because the very sight of a Tiger—even me—sent
him into terrified, screaming fits? When that bastard captured us and hurt my
mate again, after I’d promised to keep him safe?” Benny’s venom made up for the
lack of volume as he trembled in rage.

He
knew. Benny dug his claws into the couch. The Clan tigers watched him warily.
Benny closed his eyes and held his breath. He had to get back to Yuri. He was
already sick of this shit. Benny worked his jaw and then let out a deep breath,
then opened his eyes.

“Do
you know of more victims?” he asked them. “Can you convince them to speak up?
They deserve reparations.”

“There
are a few unmated females who were abused,” the old Tiger said. “I don’t
believe they will speak to you, though. They’re too afraid of Alphas.”

“I
didn’t get your name.”

“Methusis,
Alpha.”

“You
can call me Benny.” He ignored their shocked looks. “Their fathers can testify
on their behalf, but could you speak with them? Ask them to be prepared to talk
with the council?”

Methusis
cocked his head. “Why me?”

“You’re
brave. You spoke up when you didn’t have to. Plus, elders command respect in
the Clan. I’d appreciate your help, if you’re willing.” Benny’s parents had
raised him right. He treated everyone well, no matter what their station in the
Clan, and his time away from the rigid hierarchy had only enforced his disgust
with the elitist mindset fostered by most of the ruling Clan Tigers.

“It’s
been a long time since I was asked for anything by an Alpha,” he mused.

“Don’t
get me wrong; I won’t let this Clan dissolve into chaos. I am in charge. But I
don’t believe in overlooking the contributions of every Clan member, and
letting them know I appreciate their worth.”

If
their eyes could have popped out of their heads, they would’ve. Benny snorted.

“This
could be interesting.” Methusis braced himself on his cane and stood up. “I’ll
be happy to spread the word and approach the family heads directly, as needed.”

There
was a lot more to do, and Benny was approached throughout the day by the
fathers of the females Sheshtun and his men abused for his program. He listened
to each one as they stood nervously before him, and he thanked each one for
agreeing to ensure no victim went unheard.

By
the time they were headed back, Benny was ready to climb out of his skin.
“Can’t this car go any faster?” he nagged Dav.

“Don’t
be a backseat driver.” Dav looked tightly wound too, his knuckles were white on
the steering wheel.

“I’m
not in the backseat.” Peten and Carlit were. Even though the big Tiger was
asleep, his nose buried in Peten’s neck, Dav kept glancing back in the mirror.
Benny should’ve offered to sit back there—he knew how much Dav hated anyone at
his back—but he didn’t want to separate the pair.

There
was something seriously wrong with Carlit.

“Don’t.
Care.” When Dav was in that mood, it was best for everyone to leave him alone
until Ellis showed up. So Benny shut up.

He’d
hope Yuri would be awake and waiting for him. After the night they’d shared,
Benny’d had so much hope Yuri would be okay, even after everything. Ellis said
he’d refused to speak to anyone or eat again. He needed to talk to his mate,
but Benny needed his touch and his love more. What if everything caught up to
him while Benny was gone?

Had
he shut down again?

Benny
collapsed to his knees beside the bed. He grunted. He was so sore, and his ribs
still hurt. He should probably clean them again. Yuri rolled over and blinked,
opening his eyes. The pupils were blow wide, and Yuri jerked back.

He
yanked Benny onto the bed. Benny hissed, but his wounds wouldn’t keep him from
his mate. Yuri yanked at his pants while Benny ripped off his shirt.

“You’re
hurt.”

“My
cock hurts more.” Benny had never gotten so hard, so fast. He gripped it with
one hand and stroked, base to tip. The tip shone, sticky with pre-come. His
mate ripped his hand away and flipped him over. Foreplay went out the window.
His mate’s tongue in his ass was all the lube he got.

Benny
didn’t care. It was rough, and hot, and Yuri had come deep inside him by the
time they collapsed into the wet spot he’d made on the bed.

Yuri
rubbed his cheek on the back of Benny’s shoulder. “Damn, my head hurts, but I
feel so good.”

“Me,
too.” He was too out of it to worry about Yuri’s head.

His
stomach growled and Yuri’s echoed it. Benny snorted and rolled over. “Should we
get food?”

“I’ll
get it.” Yuri got up.

“Wait!”

Yuri
strode naked into the living room, then froze.

“Peten?

TBC

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Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Yes... more, more, more! This week's flash was inspired by two prompts again: "Oh, get a grip, I'm not that bad." and "I thought I knew you!" Of course, if you're inspired by prompts or the way the group uses them... consider joining us! Send me an email or use my contact me area to get more info. We can always use more flashers! ;)

Lost Inside Chapter 37

The
crowded Tigers bent in a wave of moving bodies, like saplings before a strong
wind. Here and there, one hesitated, until a single Tiger still stood. Benny
eyed him. Some of the Tigers he’d grown up with were gone, including his
family, and there were a lot of strangers he didn’t recognize. He’d met many of
Yuri’s clan when they merged with his, but he didn’t recognize the massive
Tiger staring at the body sprawled at Benny’s feet.

“Are
you challenging me?” Benny laid his ears back and bared his fangs. He didn’t
want to fight, but damned if would stand by and let anyone else run the Clan
pick right back up where Sheshtun left off, terrorizing the others.

The
Tiger didn’t reply. He didn’t even look up.

Benny
snarled and stepped in front of the corpse. “Are you challenging me?” he repeated.

“What?
No!” The large Tiger would’ve fallen when he stumbled back if a smaller man
hadn’t jumped up and steadied him. Benny was startled to see tears shimmering
in the light when he tore his gaze from Sheshtun. His hands shook as he lifted
them up, his claws retracted. “Just… he….” His breath hitched.

“He’s
really dead?” the other man standing asked. His voice was soft as he hid
partially hidden, his arms wrapped around himself.

Couldn’t
they see the bastard wasn’t breathing? Hadn’t he stated it clearly enough? Dav
snickered behind him. Benny glared over his shoulder at the Snake before he
faced the assembled clan again. Both of the standing Tigers had taken advantage
of his momentary distraction and knelt.

Damn
it. He was going to have to give a speech. He hadn’t looked forward to
fighting, but he’d expected to have to. Benny swept another look over the
Tigers submitting to him. What was wrong with them? For all they knew, he would
be worse than Sheshtun ever was. Yet they gave in. Were they that bound to the
old ways?

“My
name is Benny. I’m mated to Yuri, Sheshtun’s son. I’m from the clan Sheshtun
merged with last year. Some of you may remember what he did to us for daring to
accept our bond.”

“Will
you hold that against us?” An older Tiger spoke up from the back, a cane
clenched in his hands. They all watched him fearfully, the two cubs hidden
within their families huddled in knots.

“Should
I?” It was his right, as the new leader, to do as he wished. Hierarchy within
the Tiger clan said his word was law. No one could gainsay him—unless they
wished to lead. An ache, dull and throbbing, began behind Benny’s left eye.
This was not the haughty Tiger Clan Benny thought he’d face. All the fight had
been tortured out of them.

“The
answer to my question is no,” Benny said. “Unless you harmed another
purposefully, you don’t deserve punishment. The betas who helped Sheshtun will
face the combined Council’s judgment. They will speak with each of you in the
coming weeks, but any who suffered at their hands for the barbaric experiments
Sheshtun created can claim retribution.

“There
will be many changes. The Tiger Clans follow an archaic set of laws with no
bearing on society today—one where Carthera live in peace with humans and each
other. The barbaric rule of might makes right is over.”

“Then
why should we follow you?” Ahh. Not everyone was as cowed as they appeared.
Benny was surprised to see the Tiger who spoke up was the slim man who’d stood
kept the massive Tiger from falling. His voice was still soft, but he met
Benny’s gaze and didn’t look back down.

“Because
I don’t want to be your Alpha.” That
announcement sent a wave of whispers through the room. “My mate needs me, but
so do you. So, for now, I’m in charge. I will see this clan moved away from this
cesspit to a new home. The other clans in his territory work together and have
thrived under his father’s, and now Velaku’s, rules. There is a house closer to
my home suitable for the Clan’s needs.” There were far less than he’d expected
to need to house, just over a dozen family groups and a few others huddled alone.

“What
about our jobs? How will we feed ourselves?”

“There
is a fund set up. Once the Clan’s properties and assets are assessed and
liquidated, as appropriate, the fund will be repaid and shares given out to
each family to help you until you get jobs and find a new place to live.”

“We
can do that?”

The
ache became a throbbing pain. They were like untutored younglings. The
strictures had ruled their entire existence, locking them into a place far in
the past. If he hadn’t had friends who helped him… Benny pinched the bridge of
his nose. He really wasn’t the Tiger for this.

“Yes.
You can. Look. I want everyone to go pack their things.” Benny pointed at the
two Tigers in the front row and the older man who’d spoken up. “Except you.”

The
three stayed on their knees after the room emptied. It had to hurt. “Oh, get a
grip, I’m not that bad. Stand up.”

They
stood, the older Tiger moving slowly and painfully.

“From
your reactions, I’m guessing you two suffered at his hands directly.” Benny
gestured for them to take a seat on the couches on the right side of the room,
usually reserved only for the betas.

They
sat together, thighs touching. Both men nodded reluctantly. “You’re mates?” He
was surprised they’d been allowed to bond.

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